Now, to get that out of your head, here's the Nancy Sinatra rendition. Unlike Raquel, she does not go all boots-were-made-for-walking. She's wearing boots, but she never gets up off her ass. In fact, when the song ends, she rolls off the stage.

For simultaneous singing and walking in boots, here's the 80s Cher version.

I did say while watching it that she dances better than she sings. And I imply in the post the singing-free dance part is kind of amusing.

I think she's extremely awkward, and the physical appearance that was so magnificent at the time is matched and overmatched by many female celebrities today. You have to remember how you felt at the time to really understand what she was.

I find it painful to watch because I felt sorry for her, like... oh, they're making her do this. Maybe she was enthusiastic, but I'm not seeing it. Cher seems enthusiastic, but supposedly she suffered from stage fright. And I'm not convinced Nancy Sinatra enjoyed performing.

"Swinging sounds of the '67 on my TV late at night/Wish I had a time machine, she's stone cold out of sight"

That's a tribute to Nancy S, not Raquel; you can watch it here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCGoFfJwTHg

Whether she was acting, singing, or dancing, emotional range or expressiveness was never Raquel Welch's strong suit. Nancy Sinatra's version of "Bang Bang" smokes Raquel's because she is a real performer, not just eye candy.

I've been watching this video of Joni Mithcell playing the dulcimer and singing California on the Johnny Cash show a lot lately. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMc_Q0bBRjg

Is she lip-syncing? I guess I could go find Blue among my CDs and compare. I've certainly listened to that album many times, but when her "will you take me as I am?" refrain kicks in after 3:00, it feels like I'm hearing the song for the first time. Funny to think this was pop music once!

One of the YouTube commenters wrote, "Too bad years of smoking have eliminated her ability to sing like this﻿ anymore." Well, her voice might have faded without smoking, but, yeah. Noone really sings like that anymore. Tori Amos? Is she Joni Mitchell with a history of rape?

@chuck That sounds so close to the original, but I have the "Blue" version right here on my computer. Side to side, they are definitely not the same. In the YouTube clip, she throws in the word "no" at one point: "No, it's too old and cold."

This is from the days when every celebrity was expected to be able to sing and dance. Nowadays we don't pretend that they can all sing and dance. We don't expect celebrities to be able to sing, dance, act, or think. I'm not sure it was worse back then.

Women, without the presence of men, have no idea of what is beautiful and true. Please note how Raquel flashes her white panties at the men. The men raise their phallic rifles, not so much to aim at the white panties, but as a form of self defense. Futile. They continually lie slain at the flash of those panties.......I watched Raquel's video in full and just sampled that of Nancy and Cher. I recognize that Raquel has no great talent as a singer or dancer, but she's the one you want to watch. The pen is mightier than the sword, but the pantie flash rules the world.

She was extraordinary in the days before breast implants. Today, you can take tall, healthy-looking women, improve their faces, and give them breasts as big as you like. You don't have to hit the jackpot naturally the way she did.

If given the choice to have Raquel at 28 or some modern beauty show up in your hotel room naked, I think most men would choose Raquel. I can't even explain why, but she has something uncommonly sexy about her. Even in this terrible performance, I don't want to criticize her for fear of blowing my chances. I'd do zombie Raquel, even if she ate my brain during it.

I used to watch Bob Hopes' USO tours lying on my stomach (for obvious reasons), nose inches from the tv. Hoping and praying for a wardrobe malfunction. Too callow to understand what taped before a live audience really meant.

The beauties of today reflect our changing society. Much more variety, and some imperfections that can add to the hotness. A sense of accessability stemming from the lack of perfection, a gritty earthiness. The earlier women were almost Barbie like in their perfections. And perfection, while desired, is often not achievable.

I loved the earlier beauties with eyes that saw the world as a ideal place. With my maturity I came to appreciate the full figure of a Queen Latifah, the smolder of Ellen Barkin, the cafe au lait of Halle. And so I find more and more women attractive. (win-win).

I prefer the fullness and variety we can see in todays world. But every now and then, we get full of pate de fois gras, and just want meat and potatoes.

Now I'm gonna go google more Raquel, and maybe, if I'm lucky, rub one out-lol.